McGrath for South African Tests?

Posted Tuesday, 14 February, 2006 in International News

Glenn McGrath may make a return to international cricket for the Test matches against South Africa in March.

The 36-year-old strike bowler is understood to have told chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns that he would not be available for the one-day section of South African tour which kicks off on February 24, but he has not ruled out making himself available for the Test matches.

McGrath's manager Warren Craig the pace bowler would not make a decision on the Test segment of the South African tour until he needed to.

'Pigeon' has been supporting his wife through her recurring battle with cancer but has let it be know he does not intend to retire from international cricket.

"Cricket does become a distant consideration at this time, but it's still a major part of our lives," he wrote in his regular newspaper column.

"We have been through this before so we know what's in front of us and what we need to do to win the battle."

McGrath's resilience and dedication to the task at hand has also been an inspiration to his teammates.

Left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken, who took an impressive 4-30 in Sunday's second final against Sri Lanka, said McGrath was in their thoughts.

"The guys constantly speak to him and make sure he's OK," said Bracken, who also revealed that McGrath is staying in regular touch with his Aussie team through the VB Series finals against Sri Lanka.

"Just having him around and having him care about how we're going as well is giving us a lift to perform well," he said.